Herbert t



H. T. ABRAMS.

AUTOMATIC VALVE FOR AIR LIFT PUMPS.

APPLIC-ATION FILED MAR. 27. I9I9.

1,343, 1 90. Patented June 15, 1920.

A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE.

HERBERT '1. Annette, 0E ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR ro INGERSOLL-RANID conrANY, or JERSEY. CITY, NEW JEasEY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

AU'IDMATIC VALVE FOR AIR LIFT-PUMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1920.

Application filed March 27, 1919. Serial No. 385,433.

To all whom it'may concern Be it known that I, HERBERT T. ABnAMs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Valves for Air Lift-Pumps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to air lift pumps in which water or other fluids and semifiuids are pumped through an eduction pipe supplied with air under pressure acting directly on its submerged end.

The present invention specifically relates to a means forregulating the pressure and consequently the amount of air suppl ed to the submerged end of the eduction pipe of an air lift pump, the means provided permitting' an increased pressure of air to be admitted to the eduction pipe when the back pressure in said eduction pipe due to the depth of submergence is increased and a lessened pressure when the back pressure is lowered.

' In air lift pumps as at present constructed a regulating or throttling valve is provided in the air supply line which may be ad usted by hand to suit the conditions normally existing within the educt1on pipe. These conditions varv intermittently due to released bubbles or pistons of air so that the supply of air cannot be properly regulated to maintain economical operation. Also, when several pumps of this type are operated by compressed air at the same pres sure as when supplied from the same source, a pump in which the back pressure is lower than the others will take an unduly large amount of air, thus seriously affecting the economy of that particular pump and depriving the remaining units of suflicient air for eflicient operation.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automatic means for regulating the pressure of air supplied to an eduction pipe of an air lift pump which will vary the pressure simultaneously with changes in operating conditions within the pump. Another object is to prov de an automatic regulating valve which will be simple, positive in its action and will not readily be put out of order.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the features of construction and operation set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a cross sectional view of an air lift pump of conventional type equipped with an automatic regulating valve as above described.

Fig. 2 shows a cross sectional view in elevation of a valve made in accordance with the present invention.

It is to be understood that the form of air lift pump shown in Fig. 1 is merely for the purpose of illustration and the invention is in no way limited to any particular form of eduction pipe or air supply pipe, and also that the particular form of valve shown in Fig. 2 is illustrative only of an application of the invention which is in no way limited to any particular form of valve. In the pump as shown an eduction pipeis shown within the well casing but it is to be understood that a special eduction pipe is not re-, quired but that the well casing or similar part may perform all the functions of'the eduction pipe. Referring more particularly to the figures of the drawing, 1 refers to a well casing forming the lining for an air lift pump in which is located an eduction pipe 9. extending considerably below the pumping line which is indicated by line 3-3. This form of an air lift pumpis one commonly used for pumping water from depths of from two hundred to twelve hundred or more feet. Within the eduction pipe 2 is shown an air supply pipe f connected with a source of supply (not shown) by means of pipe 5. The air supply pipe l extends down to the lower or submerged end of the eduction pipe 2 and at that point is provided with a plurality of openings 6 forming nozzles through which air escapes into the eduction pipe 2 and, in ascending through the eduction pipe, carries with it a large amount of the water or other fluid within the well or other receptacle from which the fluid is being pumped. Inserted within the air supply line f at a convenient point above the level of the ground is an automatic regulating valve 7 which forms the subject matter of the present invention.

Referring now to Fig. 2 in which a regulating valve suitable for the above purpose is more clearly shown, the valve comprises a casing 8 into which is suitably secured the air supply pipe 5 connected with any suitable source of compressed air and also the air supply pipe 4 leading to the submerged end of the pump. Within the casing 8 cperates a piston 9 which in its movement upwardly and downwardly opens and closes a port 10 leading from the portion of the casing 8 directly below the piston in which the full pressure of air in pipe 5 is exerted into the air supply pipe 4:. The casing is provided with'a suitable cap 11 to limit the upward movement of the piston 9. This cap 11 is also provided with a bracket 12 to which ispivoted by means of apin 13 an arm 14 which at its outer end may carry a heavy weight 15. The weight 15 riding on arm 14' may be shifted toward or away from the pivot 13 to increase or decrease the pressure on a connecting arm 16 which atsits upper end fits into a depression 17 and at its lower end presses against the piston 9. Thisconstruction'just described provides a valve acted upon by pressure within pipe 5 and allows-variable amounts of air to pass from pipe 5 into the pipe at dependent upon the pressure within pipe 4:.

From this disclosure it will be seen that with the variations in the air pressure withinair supply pipe 4 due to an increased or decreased flow of air through the valve different pressures are exerted on the lower face of the piston 9 and that with the arm 14 suitably weighted by properly locating the weight 15, the valve formed by piston 9 and the port 10 may be made to close when the pressure against it is reduced be low a critical pressure and that pressure above that critical pressure will hold the piston 9 in an intermediate position between its closed position and wide open position as shownin Fig. 2. lVith a rapid flow of air past the valve, pressure below the piston 9 is reduced and piston moves downwardly slightly thus cutting off a part of port 10 and reducing the supply of air to the submerged end of the eduction pipe. \Vhen the difference in pressure between supply pipe 5 and the submerged end of the eduction pipe is reduced which condition occurs when the back pressure due to submergenceis 1ncreased, greater pressure is exerted below piston 9 and consequently piston 9 moves upwardly thus more fully opening port 10.

In operating a series of pumps supplied from the same source of air pressure the weight 15 on'each valve provided on each of the pumps is adjusted so that the maximum flow of water will take place when in normal operation and under normal back pressure. As soon as the pressure within one of the wells drops due to withdrawing the water or other liquid more rapidly from the well or other place from which the liquid is being pumped than it is being supplied, the piston 9 moves downwardly slightly to partly close port 10. This has the desired effect of limiting the amount of air supplied to that particular pump and will not permit an increased flow of air through that particular pump until the pressure is restored as would be the case if no automatic regulation were provided.

hat I claim is:

In an air lift pump, a well casing, or lining, an eduction pipe extending from the surface to a point near the bottom of the well, an air supply pipe extending to the lower submerged end within the eduction pipe and adapted to be connected with a source of supply of air pressure, and an automatic regulating valve inserted in the air supply pipe at a point above ground for varying the air pressure in accordance with changes in back pressure in the eduction pipe, said valve comprising a valve casing to which the air supply pipe and the source of supply are connected, a piston valve in said casing adapted to control a port lead ing to the air supply pipe and means for exerting pressure on said valve to oppose the air pressure beneath the valve, whereby variations of the difference in pressure be- HERBERT T. ABRAMS. 

